


Jack and Bantam

by Wherever_Girl



Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22472836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherever_Girl/pseuds/Wherever_Girl
Summary: A revised tale of a poor farm-boy who hit rock bottom... only to find a giant who has a solution to his problems.
Kudos: 2





	Jack and Bantam

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I was going through old files and found this oneshot collecting dust, and after reading it over decided to finally post it.

Jack shivered as a cold wind blew, the icy air piercing any exposed skin. Wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, he pressed on down the muddy road that wound through the thick forest.

How did this happen? That was a question he knew the answer to.

The farm he lived on his whole life went under. The house suffered in a storm, a leaky roof and unstable beams turning the humble-home into a shack-in-shambles; crops stopped growing, the soil having become barren, and they only raked in a small sum for harvest; it got to the point where they had to sell most of their livestock in order to get through a terrible winter.

By the next summer, they had no crops, no livestock, and only enough money to buy a can of beans. Once the family cow had been sold, Jack and his uncle considered themselves destitute.

Why did this happen? …That was a question he was stuck on.

He thought back as far as he could; at five years old, his parents left him with his uncle for reasons unknown--- maybe money issues, maybe they were going on a trip but failed to return, maybe they died, or maybe they just decided they no longer wanted a kid. He didn’t remember--- he just knew his parents dropped him off on the farm and never came back, and since then his uncle put him to work on the land.

At age sixteen, times grew tough. Sleeping in a drafty house affected his health as he lost energy to work; his uncle still pushed him to get his chores done, no matter how many times he passed out in the field. His uncle started drinking, leaving Jack to do all the work--- his boozing doing more damage to their debt, until he couldn’t afford a single mug of rum.

Once Jack turned eighteen… that’s when his uncle got the half-baked idea to get rid of his nephew. “You’re too much to take care of. I don’t have the funds to feed ya, and there’s no work for ya to do,” he told the teen bitterly. “There’s a man comin’ to pick ya up. Told him to take ya off my hands,”

At first Jack figured he found him another place to work… but it only turned out to be a business deal his uncle made. He sold Jack for 200 pounds, and immediately left the moment Jack was seated in the back of the cart.

For the last three weeks, Jack was put to hard labor. Up before sunrise, working until after sundown, he barely got three square meals with such a busy schedule. The man was an eccentric bigot, only showing respect to fellow blue-bloods. To him, Jack was worth as much as rubbish. To Jack, the man was worth less than rubbish--- and after one-night too-many of having nothing more than a slice of bread for dinner, he told him so.

He was beaten and told to sleep outside, having nothing more than his trousers and a thin blanket for warmth. He looked towards the iron gates… as thin as he was, he squeezed through the bars and ran away.

The question remained… why did things become this way? Because of his parents? His uncle? Just hard times themselves?

Jack shook his head. He couldn’t pin the blame on anyone… things were rough, that’s all he knew, and right now he just wanted to find a warm place to rest, have a hot meal, and find a well-paying job.

*rustle rustle*

Jack paused, hearing something in the bushes. “H-Hello…?” he called out, his voice barely above a whisper.

It couldn’t be a hunter, for the season was closed and it was too deep into the night. It certainly was not a vagabond or travelling merchant, otherwise he would have seen a lantern and/or heard the sound of horse-hooves.

What if it were bandits? But, he had nothing for them to take--- surely bandits would not waste their time with a poor tramp, would they?

A low growl gave him a hint, and he backed away… as a large, vicious wolf leaped onto the path; its muzzle was foaming, giving Jack the notion the creature was rabid!

Not giving him a second, the wolf rushed forth, forcing Jack to run as quickly as he could down the path. Desperate, he turned off the road, hoping that he could lose the rogue hound in the foliage. No such luck, the wolf kept on his heels, chasing him deeper into the forest.

The wolf caught the blanket in its jaws, tearing it in half while Jack ran around a tree, bursting into a clearing; he looked back once, seeing the wolf spitting out the fabric and rushing forth---

*bam!*

He ran into something. A mountain? In the middle of the woods?! He felt the side of it… it was soft and squish, almost like skin.

Snarling interrupted his investigation, as the wolf had him cornered. Jack pressed himself against the mysterious side, closing his eyes and awaiting his death. So this was how it would end--- a poor farmer boy turned into a runaway slave, dying in the jaws of a rabid wolf…

*whap!*

*yipe!*

Jack opened his eyes… seeing something swatted the wolf into a tree. Sensing movement behind him, he looked up to see the mountain was moving…

But… it wasn’t a mountain… it was… a… a giant!

“Stupid wolf… first it’s a little girl, now a little boy? Why don’t you just stick with pigs?” the giant grumbled.

The wolf, despite its injury, stood up straight and snarled at the massive being. In response, he growled back twice as loud, scaring the wolf back into the forest. “Dumb dog…” he then lied back down on his side to resume sleep.

Jack stood there, dumbstruck. Was he really standing before a giant?

“U-Um… T-Thank you, f-f-for saving m-me,” the teen stammered; despite his shock, it would be rude not to thank the enormous stranger from saving his life.

“It was no trouble. Just don’t travel through the forest at night; head on home,” the giant replied, sounding a bit tired, lazily waving his hand over his shoulder in a shooing motion.

Jack turned to leave… but couldn’t bring himself to go.

For one reason, which was the most obvious, he had doubts he could just walk away from a giant as if he were a casual passerby. What was he doing in the forest? How long had he been here? Did anyone else know about him?

Secondly, he was lost. Looking around, he found he lost his sense of direction when running for his life, unable to see the trail, the woods too thick and dark to navigate through. Not to mention more vicious beasts could be on the prowl, and it would not be wise to wander through the forest without sunlight.

Finally… he had no home to go to. Wrapping the remains of his blanket around his shoulders, he sat down on the ground, burying his face in his arms. “I have nowhere to go…”

“Hm?” The giant peered over his shoulder, looking at the teen. “What was that?”

“I… I don’t have a home. I have no money, no house, no food… no family…” his eyes began to water. “I’m all alone…”

The giant turned, lying on his stomach so that he faced Jack at eye-level. “No home? Surely you must live somewhere! Where did you come from?”

Jack shook his head. “I lost my home. I lost everything…” There came another rustling sound from the bushes, making him jump.

The giant opened his palm to him; accepting the invitation the teen carefully crawled on, watching as a couple deer passed by; they only looked at the giant before continuing on. “How did you lose everything? Were you robbed?” the giant asked, continuing the conversation.

Jack was so fixated on the fact that he was in a giant’s hand that he almost missed the question. “Huh? No… well, actually, not quite. It sure feels like it…” For the next twenty minutes or so, Jack told the giant about his misfortunes--- his parents were gone, the farm suffered, his uncle sold him as a slave, and his ‘master’ abused him greatly. Near the end, he couldn’t keep the tears back any more.“I just… I ran away. I-I don’t know where to go or what to do… I just… I just want to feel warm and safe,”

“Poor kid… Anything I can do?”

A cold wind blew; Jack shivered, the wetness of his tears feeling like ice on his face. His legs felt heavy from having ran so much in one night, and (as far as he could tell from the height of the giant’s palm) it would be a long way to the nearest town. “I just want to rest… I’m cold, tired, hungry…”

The giant pondered to himself, scratching his head… thus when he got an idea. “I think I can resolve two of those problems,” he said, setting Jack on his shoulder. He took off his knit-hat, pried a branch off a tree while breaking smaller branches off the end of it, having it work as a pole to hold up one side of the cap’s rim. “How’s that? It ain’t fancy, but it should shield you from the cold.

Jack was lowered down to the hat-tent, walking inside. The wind blew, making it waver, but the branch helped it stay standing and the fabric was thick enough to keep out the blustery chill. “It’s very nice. Thank you… ah…” he began to say, until he realized neither of them made an introduction. “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask for your name!”

The giant rubbed the back of his neck, a blush coming to his face. “My name is… um… Bantam.”

“Bantam?” Jack cocked his head at the unfitting title. Seeing that the giant was somewhat embarrassed, however, he decided he could question it later; rather, he stuck out his hand. “My name is Jack.”

Bantam smiled, sticking out his finger for Jack to shake. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Jack.” He then stretched his body out, lying down and working as an extra barrier for the wind. He had placed the hat close enough to a tree so that, in case he rolled over, he wouldn’t accidentally crush the tiny person. “Let’s get some rest now, ‘tis too late in the hour to continue conversation.”

“Right. Goodnight, Bantam.” With that, Jack lied down inside the hat-tent. Exhausted, he looked at the giant once more, before drifting to sleep.

~*~*~

Bantam.

That’s what he was named in the Giant Village.

It was a secret realm, the only way in or out hidden in a secret passage within the clouds. Very few knew about it, and that’s what the giants preferred; the normal-sized world was too much trouble to live in--- the foods were too small, there was barely any room to roam, and if someone stepped on a tiny person, no one would hear the end of it!

But he came here anyway.

Being sick at birth, he was a runny infant; while most babes were the size of full-grown elephants, he was no bigger than a hippopotamus. He was 21 now--- only halfway taller than evergreen trees. Other giants were almost taller than sequoias. Their footprints could be large enough to make lakes, his barely made a small pond, and so on.

He got sick of being the shortest giant in town. Everyone liked to find humor about how he had to jump to catch a shooting star, couldn’t leap over a mountain without skinning his knee, had trouble picking up a whale, and needed a step-stool to reach the top shelf.

So he decided to take the gateway to the smaller world, climbing down a beanstalk to the hills below; it shriveled up right afterward, mainly so no tiny person could try climbing it. If he ever wanted to go back, all he had to do was plant a bean on a rainy night.

Of course, he had to keep himself scarce. He didn’t want to wander into a town and accidentally crush a house, or cause people to panic. He kept to the woods; it was peaceful out in the woods, save for that wolf. He once spotted it prowling on a little girl in a red cloak--- he grabbed it by the tail and tossed it to the other side of a lake, before she could even notice.

There wasn’t much to do after that, however.

That is, until Jack ran into him.

He was fast asleep when he felt something touch his skin. A bug? No, the bugs were too tiny to be a nuisance for him. Looking over, he saw that wolf about to pounce on the boy; annoyed by the pest, he swatted it back and scared it away. The tiny person was probably no doubt scared of his presence, so he turned to go back to sleep in order to ensure he would not be harmed.

Then Jack spoke to him. Thanked him.

Confided in him…

Bantam never thought someone so small would have the courage to talk to a giant, much less let one pick them up and hold them in their palm a while.

It was heartbreaking, listening to his story. Of course, the lad might have just been making things up in order to earn pity, maybe thinking the giant carried gold or something of the sort (as a lot of small folk believed giants had unspeakable treasures). But he could tell he was sincere--- the way the tears fell from the eyes, how his voice shook, and how thankful he was when Bantam gave him shelter from the cold.

He was really cute.

Bantam felt himself blush just thinking about it. Not that he was attracted to the lad--- after all, they had just met! But when it came to anything small, whether rabbits or squirrels, he felt a warm feeling in his heart. He wanted to pick up Jack and hold him close, but had to keep in mind tiny folk were not animals--- it would be rude to pick them up and pet them without their consent.

How he wanted to though, not out of desire, but because of a yearning in his heart after seeing the young man sob--- it took all of his might not to hold him against his chest and hug him tightly (but not too tight, as it could crush him). Yet if he made the attempt, it could have caused Jack some discomfort. After all, they were strangers to each other.

Bantam peeked into the hat, seeing that Jack was already fast asleep. Poor lad, he must have been exhausted if he could dose off so easily after meeting a giant! He was very scrawny, too, as if he hadn’t had a decent meal for weeks. He looked dirty as well, as if he hadn’t bathed since last spring. He hadn’t any clothes on save for a pair of ragged trousers, and the blanket around his shoulders was torn.

Oh no. This wouldn’t do at all.

Reaching in carefully, Bantam stroked Jack’s head with the tip of his finger, light enough to just brush his hair back. He made a mental promise that--- if Jack gave him his consent--- he would take care of the lad. Jack hummed in his sleep, his head nuzzling against the giant’s finger, a smile on his lips.

The giant smiled too. He was going to keep him… if he wanted to stay.

Deciding they could speak about it in the morn, Bantam closed his eyes to resume his own sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was a nightmare that woke Jack up. His vision consisted of a burning farmhouse, wolves howling, and a whip to his back.

He woke up in a cold sweat, taking in deep breaths to calm himself down.

Thunder crashed just then, making him yelp. A storm?! Now?!

The wind had picked up, and rain was starting to soak through the fabric of the hat, little drips hitting him on the head. He curled up, moving to a dry spot. How he hated storms! Every time the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, all he could think about was how things went wrong…

“Jack? Are you awake?”

The teen looked over; Bantam was awake. “Y-Yeah…”

The giant held out his palm. “C’mon, we need to move. From the looks of these clouds, it seems this storm will be blowing for a while,”

Jack crawled on; Bantam shook the branch out of his hat and put it back on his head, before cupping his other hand over his palm to shield the teen from the rain. Jack wobbled a bit, getting on his knees as the giant stood up and moved. Looking through the gap of his fingers, he could make out the tops of trees, a river below… and another flash of lightning. Gasping, he covered his head with his blanket.

“Are you okay?” Bantam asked, pausing to peek into his palm.

“Y-Yes… I just don’t like storms,” Jack admitted.

“Okay, hold on--- I’ll find cover soon as I can,” Bantam looked around, before heading in another direction.

“Doesn’t the storm bother you?”

“Naw--- feels like a sprinkle to me, mate. Weather in the giant realm was worse than this drizzle,”

“Giant realm?”

“It’s where I’m from. See, your lands here are too small for us, and folks tend to panic about bigger peoples, so we have to live somewhere our size… well, _their_ size. I’m a runt where I come from.”

“Really?” Jack’s eyes widened. Giants bigger than Bantam that lived elsewhere? He didn’t know whether to be terrified or amazed!

As if he read his thoughts, Bantam gave him a smile. “Don’t worry. Giants don’t hurt people--- that’s why we live elsewhere, so we don’t risk stepping on anyone. Plus, they don’t come down here often--- too much of a hassle, everyone believes. Only reason I came down was because I felt too small up there,” he looked over. “Oh, that should do…”

The giant made his way over to the side of a cliff, seeing an overpass above. He sat down beneath the bridge; the space was tight, so he had to pull his legs up to his chest. Jack looked out, seeing the storm was still blowing, but the cliffs and bridge helped shield them somewhat; Bantam himself looked content, keeping his hands rested on his knees, his eyes closed.

“Are you really going to sleep like this?” Jack asked; surely sitting in such a scrunched position wasn’t comfortable!

“Oh, I got plenty of sleep already. I’m just listening to the rain,” Bantam replied. “I find it relaxing,”

“I see…” Jack flinched when lightning flashed again. “I’m glad one of us isn’t bothered by such foul weather…” He yelped when thunder rumbled again.

Bantam looked at him a moment, before pulling him up to his chest; surely comforting someone who had a fear of storms was good reason to hold them close (of course if Jack refused, the giant would oblige). “There, there,” he whispered, tilting his palm slightly so Jack could lean against his abdomen, holding him in place. He used his thumb to gently caress his head. “There’s nothing scary about storms, once you see they’re not all about damage. Close your eyes and listen,”

Jack listened, but not to the storm. Against the giant’s chest, he could hear his heartbeat. It was louder than the storm, only soothing. The way Bantam was rubbing his head was also calming, as the massive being was being extra careful with his hands. The teen closed his eyes, cozying against him.

“Feel better?”

“Mm-hmm…” he sighed. He felt so warm, so comfortable… so safe… He felt Bantam pull him away, but he gripped onto him. “H-Hold on… can you keep holding me like this?”

“Oh! Sure,” Bantam held him close again, a bit relieved that the small person was not at all offended.

Jack closed his eyes again, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat, feeling himself rise-and-fall against skin as the giant breathed, relaxing as a thumb ever-so-gently rubbed his head. The noise of the storm escaped his attention as he focused on his position; in a way he felt like a child, not that it bothered him since his childhood was spent on labor, and his uncle seldom ever comforted him.

“Hey, Jack?” Bantam’s chest rumbled when he spoke.

The teen sleepily looked up at him. “Yes?”

“Would you like to stick around? I mean, unless there was somewhere else you had in mind. There’s a town not too far from here if you want to find your own place--- I’ll be having to go back to my realm myself, since the food down here is much too small and everything. *ahem* Otherwise, you’re welcome to travel with me… if you wish.”

He looked at the giant a moment. He was blushing! Jack had to giggle, seeing such an enormous being act so shy about his request. “It’s okay, Bantam. It may be a while before I can afford my own place. I appreciate your hospitality… but would it really be okay for me to stay in the giant realm?”

“Oh, yes! We’re not a prejudice race--- ‘course, you wouldn’t be able to go anywhere alone. You would have to ride on my shoulder or something, so not to get stepped on… actually, in a giant’s house, I’d have to keep an eye on you--- mainly so the cat doesn’t get any ideas, so until you got adjusted I’d have to escort you here and there. But I think it would be fine, and we can come back down here whenever you want! I know I like coming down here for a breath of fresh air. …It’s up to you, though. I’m good with staying down here, too--- I’m sure I can find a big enough space to reside,”

Jack leaned against him. Never be alone? A giant watching him all the time? To anyone else, it would feel like a loss of privacy…

But to a farm boy who had lost everything, had spent his life with no one but barnyard animals to talk to, and desperately wanted to feel secure in someone’s arms… well, this was no problem for him. “I would love to stay with you up there.”

Bantam smiled, then stood up. “Great! We can go back now!” Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a seed and stuck it firmly in the ground.

Jack watched in amazement as a large beanstalk grew high into the clouds… which suddenly swirled around it. His awestruck gazing was cut off when Bantam lifted him onto his shoulder. “W-Whoa!” he gripped on tight.

“Hang on, it’s a long climb,” With that, Bantam began to climb up.

…

…

…

Jack didn’t know how long he had been looking down at the lands below, or the clouds around head, or the raindrops that seemed to disappear the moment they were above the skyline… but before he knew it, they were passing through some thick fog, before Bantam went into a crawl… stepping out and standing up straight.

The teen gawked. Behind them there was a whirlpool of clouds; on the side was the beanstalk, which immediately shriveled up. Looking ahead, he saw green fields and clear skies… and very, very large animals. The cows he saw looked big as buildings! This was befuddling--- he always imagined giants kept regular-sized animals.

He then noticed Bantam caught him staring. “You have large animals here,”

“Yes… we kept normal sized animals, but they weren’t providing enough. We fed them special beans that made them giant-sized, just so we wouldn’t have to go down so often. There’s only so many times a giant can ask a farmer for eggs and get screamed at.”

“Special beans?”

“That’s right. But only one bean per animal. Too many, and they’d explode--- my cousin found that out the hard way with his chickens, and had to explain to his wife why it was raining feathers in the henhouse!”

“What if a human ate one?”

Bantam shrugged. “I don’t know, never tried it with a human… But, I wouldn’t experiment with it. It could have a dangerous side effect,”

Jack nodded. As they walked, he looked at all the enormous houses in the distance. “Where do you live?”

The giant walked across the field, before coming up to a simple one-story house in the middle of the fields, on the outskirts of town. “Right here,”

“You don’t live in town?”

“I used to, with my parents… but I was sick of the other giants treating me like a kid, making jokes about how I was too small to have my own place, so I built my house out here. I thought about moving it to your lands, but I don’t think folks would fancy a giant in the neighborhood,”

“You get picked on for being small?”

“Sometimes. It’s nothing harmful--- just annoying,” They walked into the house. Sure enough, there was a giant, fluffy white cat asleep on the table. “This is Ginger, she’s my pet.”

Ginger mewled, hopping off the table and rubbing against his leg. Bantam knelt down, holding Jack in his palm. “Nice kitty,” Jack said, stroking her nose. The cat sniffed him, pawing at his head, before turning away.

“Heh, she’s not one for socializing. But until she gets used to you, I’ll have to keep you near so she doesn’t mistake you for a mouse.”

“Okay,”

Bantam walked over to his bed, sitting down and lying back. He set Jack up on the windowsill, allowing the teen to look around. It was a humble home, with a small kitchen, bath, and bed. Still, the roof was free of leaks, it was void of drafts, and he had a feeling there would be food on the table.

He looked at Bantam, the giant lying on his bed. “I’ll give you a tour later… that climb wore me out.” He said, folding his arms behind his back.

“I don’t mind,” Jack replied, still feeling drowsy himself despite the excitement of living with a giant. He didn’t get enough sleep, and all the exhilaration took a lot out of him. Hopping off the windowsill and onto his host’s stomach, he lied back down on the middle of his chest. “I’m still a bit sleepy, anyway,”

“Heh heh, okay then.” Bantam closed his eyes, resting a hand over Jack, keeping all but his head covered.

The teen sighed in relaxation, nuzzling against him. Yes, he was going to like it here.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome,  
> Flames are not.  
> Please leave a review  
> I miss those a lot.


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